Burrbgaja Yalirra (Dancing Forwards)
In January Marrugeku launched Burrbgaja Yalirra, our three-year commitment to support emerging to mid career artists from NSW and WA as ‘change makers’ in contemporary community-connected intercultural and Indigenous dance. Marrugeku opened it’s doors to a talented group of individuals, sharing the company’s community, cultural, choreographic and dramaturgical processes.
Burrbgaja Yalirra was launched with a two-week laboratory programmed within Sydney Festival, led by Marrugeku’s co-artistic directors Dalisa Pigram and Rachael Swain, joined by long term collaborator Koen Augustijnen directed and co-choreographed Gudirr Gudirr with Dalisa Pigram. Together they introduced Marrugeku’s Belgian influenced approach of devising contemporary intercultural dance, drawing on the dancer’s own stories, memories and cultural backgrounds in theatrical and choreographic improvisations. Participants shared experiences of creating contemporary dance across their own remote and urban, Indigenous and non-Indigenous contexts.
